Rotary engine.



No. 7|o,75s. Patented om. 7*, 1902.

T; s. coLounnE.

ROTARY ENGINE.

(Application led July 17, 1902.) (No Model.) 4 Sheets-Sheet I.

Patented Oct. 7. |902.

T. S. CLBUURNE.

ROTARY ENGINE.

(Application mea .my 17, 1962.;

4 Sheets-Sheet 2` (No Mode'l.)

fzwfbfar 7 www@ No. 710,756. Patented Oct. 7, |902.

T. S. COLBOUBNE.

ROTARY ENGINE.

(Application led July 17, 1902.) (No Model.) 4 Sheets-Sheet l3.

Patentedoet. 7, |902.

fur

T. s. coLBounNE.

ROTARY ENGINE.

A July 17, 1902.)

, L \r\/ ll\\% m r {IIJ/M, l -hw Entrant @union TIIOB'IAS SALMON COLBOURNE, OF BARNSTAPLE, ENGLAND;

ROTARY ENGlNE.v

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 710,756, dated October '7, 1902.

Application led July 17,1902. Serial No. 115,900.Y (No model.)

To all whom, it ntfoy concern:

Be it known that I, THOMAS SALMON CoL- BOURNE,a subject of the King of Great Britain, residing at No. 2 Prospect Place, Barnstaple, in the county of Devon, England, have invented a new and useful Rotary Engine, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in rotary engines adapted to be actuated by fluid-pressure-either steam, water, gas, or the like. y

According to my invention I provide an inclosing chamber of any suitable shape and mounted therein three or more rotary vanes adapted to inclose within the ends of the inclosing chamber an inner chamber. At one end of the inclosing chamber I may provide an automatically-adjustable plate adapted to be pressed against one end of the vanes and to prevent the escape of the pressure iiuid from the chamber inclosed between the same. In my engine I may also provide an expansion valve gear adapted to operate suitable valves conveniently arranged in the axis of one or more of the rotary vanes and communicating with ports in said vanes.

My invention is more particularly described in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a sectional elevation through the inclosing chamber of the engine, showing the vanes at the commencement of steam admission. Fig. 2 is an end elevation showing the expansion valve-gear. Fig. 3 is a sectional side elevation. Fig. 4 is a section through the vanes, showing the position of the vanes and valves at cutoff. Fig. 5 shows the position of the vanes at the commencement of exhaust. Fig. G is a section, on an enlarged scale, of part of the chamber-cover and automatic adjustable plate.

Referring now to the drawings, I provide a chamber 1 of any convenient shape erected on a suitable bed-plate 2 and provided with an exhaust-passage AL. In said chamber I arrange four or any suitable number of rotary vanes on shafts G, each vane being in the form of the segments of a circle and preferably so placed with regard to the others that while individually rotating on its own shaft each vane is constantly in touch with two of the other vanes throughout its motion. In a convenient position on the vane-shafts G I arrange gear-wheels 28, adapted to gear with a wheel 29, mounted on a main shaft 18. I prefer to provide the lower vanes with admission-ports 7 and the upper vanes with eX- haust-ports 10, the shafts of the lower vanes having arranged therein tubular valves 9, adapted to be moved by a suitable valve-gear, as shown in Fig. 2, in which I provide a curved link 12, pivoted on a pivot 13, and adapted to receive a rocking motion from a crank 14, arranged at the end of a counter-shaft 15, (see Fig. 3,) said shaft 15 being rotated by a gear-wheel 1b', gearing with a wheel 17, keyed to the main driving-shaft 18, above described. The curved link 12 is provided with a slot 23, in which the end of a radial link 19 is arranged to move, said link being in length equal to the radius of the curve of the link 1 2 and adapted to communicate the rocking motion of the curved link 12 to the tubular valves 9 through crank 20, shaft 42, and links 21 and 22. The link 19 is moved in the slot 23 by means of a handwheel 24, a screw 25, and links 26. The pressure-fluid is admitted to the tubular valves 9 from a suitable chamber 30, arranged in ther chamber-cover 31. In the cover 31 I arrange an automatically-adjustable plate 32, provided with bushes 33, in which are mounted the ends of the shafts 6 of the rotary vanes 5. Conveniently in the center of the plate 32 I provide ahole 3&,opposite a piston 36,attaehed to a cylindrical plunger 37, adapted to enter chamber 38, filled with oil, water, or the like, and to create a pressure on the plate 32. I provide a suitable spring 40 between the piston 36 and the plate 32.

The action of my engine is as follows: At

`the starting-point the vanes and valves are in the position shown in Fig. 1. The pressure iiuid is admitted from the space 30 through the tubular valves 9 and ports 7 to the chamber a1, inclosed between the rotary vanes, until said vanes are inthe position shown in Fig. if, at which point the tubular valves are operated to shut olf the pressure fluid by the expansion valve-gear. When the vanes reach the position shown in Fig. 5, the pressure Vfluid commences to exhaust through the ports 1() in the upper vanes IOO and the outer chamber formed between the the vanes and the sides of the inclosing chamber to the passage 4. The rotary motion of the vanes is transmitted through the gearwheels 2S and wheel 29 to the main shaft 18, and thereby to the counter-shaft 15, by means of the gear-wheels 16 and 17, so rocking the curved link 12 and operating the tubular valves 9 by means of the radial link 19, crank 20, shaft 42, and links 2l and 22. The wheel 17, keyed on the main shaft, is twice the pitch diameter of the wheel 1b', keyed on the countershaft. In this manner I am enabled to admit fluid to the vanes twice during every revolution. The position of the radial link with reference to the curved link can be varied at will by means of hand-wheel 24, screw 25, and links 26, (shown in Fig. 2,) or byany other suitable means. Vhen the central axis of the radial link 19 registers with the rocking center oi' the curved link, the valves 9 receive no motion and the admission and cutoff of the pressure fluid is only eected by tne rotation of the vanes. At any other position of the radial link the valves are moved by the motion imparted to the curved link.v When the lower end of the radial link is on one side of the rocking center, the valves are moved in an opposite direction to the rotating vanes during the effective part of their revolution, and though the commencement of admission is always at exactly the same point in the revolution of the vanes, because the length of the link 19 equals the radius of the curve of the link 12, full opening is given more quickly and cut off takes place sooner, thus allowing for expansive working. Vhen, however, the radial link is on the other side of the rocking center of the curved link, the valves move in the same direction as the vanes during the effective part of the revolution, and the cutofl is retarded. In this manner I am enabled to give pressure fluid during a longer proportion of the revolution of the vanes at will. The exhaust is not effected by the above-described valve-gear at all.

The action of the adjustable plate 32 is as follows: When the pressure fluid is acting on the rotating vanes, it acts at the same time through the hole 34, provided in the plate 32, and exerts a pressure upon the piston 36 and so causes the plunger 37 to enter the chamber 38 and create a pressure against the plate 32 and so press said plate tightly against the ends of the vanes and prevent the escape of fluid from the chamber 41.

In order to obtain a more uniform eect, I may arrange three sets of similar vanes on one set of shafts, the vanes of each set being at an angle of sixty degrees to the other set and each set being provided with adjustable plates and valve-gear, as above described.

What I claim is- 1. In a rotary engine the combination of a chamber erected on a suitable bed-plate, a plurality of vanes mounted on parallel shafts in said chamber, an inner chamber inclosed between said vanes, means for admitting pressure duid to the chamber inclosed between the vanes, means for conveying. the rotary motion of the vanes to the main driving-shaft, suitable end plates arranged yat the ends of the vanes and adapted to keep the chamber inclosed between the vanes iiuidtight, and means for allowing the exhaust of fluid from the chamber inclosed between the vanes, substantially as described.

2. In a rotary engine the combination ofa chamber erected on a suitable bed-plate, a plurality of vanes mounted on parallel shafts in said chamber and so placed with regard to one another that while individually rotating on their own axes each vane is in touch with two of the other vanes throughout its motion, an inner chamber inclosed between said vanes, means for admitting pressure liuid to the chamber inclosed between the vanes, means for conveying the rotary motion of the vanes to the main driving-shaft, suitable end plates arranged at the ends of the vanes and adapted to keep the chamber inclosed between the vanes fluid-tight, and means for allowing the exhaust of fluid from the chamber inclosed between the vanes, substantially as described.

In a rotary engine the combination of a chamber erected on a suitable bed-plate, a plurality of vanes mounted on parallel shafts in said chamber and so placed with regard to one another that while individually rotating on their own axes, each vane is in touch with two of the other vanes throughout its motion, an inner chamber inclosed between said vanes, an admission valve or valves arranged in the shaft or shafts of one or more of the vanes adapted to control admissionports provided in said vane or vanes and to admit pressure fluid to the chamber inclosed between the vanes, gear-wheels mounted to the shafts of the vanes and adapted to gear with a gearwheel mounted on the main shaft of the engine and to convey the rotary motion of the vanes thereto, suitable end plates arranged at the ends of the vanes and adapted to keep the chamber inclosed between the vanes iuidtight, and exhaust-ports arranged in one or more of the vanes not provided with admission-valves and adapted to allow the exhaust of the pressure fluid from the chamber inclosed between the vanes, substantially as described.

4. In a rotary engine, the combination of a chamber erected on a suitable bed-plate, a plurality of vanes mounted on parallel shafts in said chamber and so placed with regard to one another that While individually rotating on their own axes, each Vane is in touch with two of the other vanes throughout itsmotion, an inner chamber inclosed between said vanes, a tubular valve or valves arranged in the shaft or shafts of one or more of the vanes adapted to control the admission-ports provided in said vane or vanes and to admit pressure fluid to the chamber inclosed between the vanes,an expansion valve-gearadapted to rock the tubular valve or valves and arranged so IOO IIO

` with bushes in which the ends of the vaneshafts are mounted, a hole so arranged in said end plate that the pressure duid can pass from the chamber inclosed between the vanes and actuate a piston in the chamber-coverto create a pressure against the back of the plate and press said plate against the end of the vanes and so keep the chamber inclosed between the vanes fluid-tight, exhaust-ports arranged in one or more of the vanes not provided with tubular valves and adapted to allow the exhaust of the pressure fluid from the chamber inclosed between the vanes, substantially as described.

5. In an expansion valve-gear, the combination of a pivoted slotted curved link, a crank adapted to rock the pivoted curved link, a radial link sliding at one end in the curved link slot and attached at the other end to a crank-shaft and links attached to the valve or valves of the engine and adapted to convey the rocking motion from the curved link thereto, a hand-wheel, screw and links at tached to the radial link and adapted to move said link in the curved link and so alter the movement of the valve or valves of the engine and alter the cut off of pressure liuid, substantially as described.

5. In a rotary engine the combination of a chamber erected on a suitable bed-plate, ar

pluralityT of vanes mounted on parallel shafts in said chamber and so placed with regard to one another that while individually rotating on their own axes each vane is in touch with two of the other vanes throughout its motion, an inner chamber inclosed between said vanes, an expansion valve-gear comprising a pivoted slottedcurved link, a crank adapted to rock the pivoted curved link, a radial link sliding at one end in the link-slot and attached at the other end to a crank-shaft and links, and adapted to convey the rocking motion of the curved slotted link to one or more tubular valves arranged in the shaft or shafts of the vane or vanes controlling the ports arranged in said vane or vanes and adapted to admit pressure fluid to the chamber inclosed between the vanes, a hand-wheel, screw and links adapted to move the radial link in the slot of the curved link and to alter the cut oli' of pressure nid in the chamber inclosed between the vanes, means for conveying the rotary motion of the vanes to the main driving-shaft of the engine, suitable'end plates arranged at the ends of the vanes and adapted to keep the chamber inclosed between the vanes duid-tight and ports for allowing the pressure fluid to exhaust from the chamber inclosed between the vanes, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto signed my naine to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

THOMAS SALMON COLBOURNE.

WVitnesses:

J. M. NoRTHcoTE, XV. H. FINOH. 

